As mentioned elsewhere on this site and other blogs on language learning, interest and motivation are the most important factors in successful language learning. Also, listening (with some reading) should be the main task of language acquisition. Podasting meets both these criteria perfectly:
Interest:
With so many podcasts available today, it is now possible to find content on just about every single topic imagineable.
Listening & Reading Input:
In addition to listening to audio programs, it is possible to paste scripts into the lyrics section of podcast files (if the content creator hasn’t already.)
If you aren’t familiar with podcasting, take a minute to watch this amazingly clear and concise video from Common Craft:
]]>The beauty of LingQ is that when you save vocabulary items using the “LingQ” button, these words will appear highlighted in yellow in all future texts you study. You have the choice of adding your own hint for each word or copying/pasting from the integrated multilingual dictionaries.
There are heaps of lessons covering the entire spectrum of abilities and interests, and you can even import your own audio or text content. For example, I recently imported an e-mail I received in Chinese and then had a Taiwanese friend record the audio. Voila; instant content that is interesting, relevant and perfectly tailored to my learning needs. And of course, vocabulary within your uploaded content can be “LingQed” as discussed above!
Take Action
- Set up a free account at LingQ.
- Choose some lessons in the language or languages you are interested in.
- Read and listen to each lesson multiple times adding LingQs to unfamiliar vocabulary
- Download the audio to your iPod from the site (right click on “download”) or via podcast (you can subscribe to the various LingQ podcasts in iTunes here.)
- Upload your own materials and add LingQs.
- Sign up for a tutor once you are ready to begin speaking.
On top of all this, Steve maintains an informative blog well worth checking out: The Linguist on Language. Here he shares his views on language learning and other topics of interest. Many of the articles stir up quite a debate and it is enjoyable to go through the comments to see the vast array of viewpoints (though I must admit I sit firmly in Steve’s corner on nearly all language learning matters…) If you prefer audio, you can subscribe to The Linguist on Language podcast.
With fluency in so many languages, most would immediately claim that Steve is “simply a natural at language learning” and that they themselves have no hope of learning 10 foreign tongues, let alone one. But having learned 4 of those languages after the age of 55, he lays waste to the myth that “only children can acquire a language well” along with other common beliefs in his popular Pick the Brain article: 7 Common Misconceptions about Language Learning.
Read my interview with Steve to hear more about language learning myths, how to learn Mandarin effectively, and the role of a good teacher.